Stuck
by SeNedra
Summary: This story was written for ficathon on Sam Jack thread on Gateworld. It takes place sometimes after Affinity. Angst warning!


_This story was written for a ficathon on Sam Jack thread on Gateworld. It takes place sometimes after Affinity. Angst warning!_

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"Daniel!"

The single word didn't sound friendly - not at all. Sam glanced at her angry CO, who was pacing back and forth, not daring to look at him directly. She really wouldn't like to be in Daniel's position, but on the other hand, he was at least separated by heavy pieces of rock. She wasn't. She was too close to Jack O'Neill, few miles closer than she would wish right now. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to do anything about it for a while.

Jack really wasn't in the best mood recently. He had been grumpy for a few weeks but this mission made things much worse. Yes, she knew that right now they had no reason to rejoice but still. There must have been something else.

"Daniel," Jack called again and she twitched. "What are you doing there for crying out loud! They should've been back already. And don't tell me you can't do anything."

"I can't do anything," Daniel protested weakly. Sam recognized that he gave up. It was impossible to explain something to Jack when he decided not to listen.

"I don't wanna hear that," Jack replied. He kicked the stone wall but, obviously, it didn't help. Sam looked away. She tried to stay calm; it would be over soon. It had to be.

It was supposed to have been an easy diplomatic mission. Just a single trip to friendly inhabitants of this planet. Daniel convinced the General that it would be useful if he could go with them this time. The relationship with the people would tighten if the leader of the Stargate Program would be there personally. That was the theory.

Jack hesitated but agreed eventually. He even looked quite happy about the opportunity of getting off world again. She knew how much he missed gate travel and how the responsibility could be exhausting. Now he was starting to joke again, he smiled from time to time and looked happier. Till yesterday morning. He visited her in the office to ask about some mission details. He came in cheerful but started to behave strangely. He was distant, reserved, almost annoyed. The image of traveling with her grumbling CO to in fact political occasion wasn't very thrilling and of course, something had to go wrong.

They had been in worse situations, she reminded herself. Now no one was going to die, no disaster was going to happen. They didn't have to save the world in a few hours. But she felt extremely uncomfortable right now. Naturally, it had something to do with almost furious Jack and so little space around.

It was supposed to be quick and easy. They went to the town where the leader of these people lived, exchanged a few formal compliments and were invited for a dinner. The General didn't look very enthusiastic about it but he agreed so they stayed. And just when they finished and were ready to leave the planet, the ground started to move.

The people here were used to the occasional earthquake. They lead them to the underground shelters and it seemed like everything would be fine. She and the Jack stayed in one little room, while Teal'c and Daniel rushed to another one. It didn't seem to be dangerous and it was over quite soon. But not completely, as they found out right then. She just heard the falling stones and wood and before they could do anything, the way out was totally closed up.

That happened only a few hours ago, but it felt to Sam like they had been there for months. Jack was silent most of the time, she heard just his occasional "Daniel" directed at their friend up there. She tried not to provoke him anymore so now she was just sitting there, trying to look invisible.

"What time is it?" Jack called after a moment of muttering.

"Almost night," Daniel called back.

"Nice," Jack noticed. Sam looked up at him, wondering if she was expected to say something to that. Probably not, she decided and sighed slightly. It wasn't getting better.

"Jack, they are here!" Daniel's voice interrupted the ongoing silence.

"And? Get us out of here!"

"That won't be so easy," the archeologist replied after a moment. "We can't see anything. You'll have to wait till tomorrow. I'm sorry."

"Daniel, I don't care if you see something or not. We are stuck in here and we wanna get out."

"It is too dangerous, O'Neill." It was Teal'c, who came back with the natives.

"T, come on, do something."

"Nothing can be done at this time. You and Colonel Carter will have to wait there, were are not going to do anything risky without reason."

"Thanks," Jack finished the conversation. If the circumstances were different, she would be probably laughing. But right now she just closed her eyes. This would be one of the longest nights ever.

Unfortunately she was right. She couldn't believe it was just two hours since they find out they would have to wait for the daylight. Jack made a small fire in the middle of the room, or a hole in the ground, she called it both ways according to her mood. That warmth was good. She had to look for the positive aspects, otherwise she would go crazy. He hadn't said a single word. He just shook his head when she asked him if he wanted water. That wasn't typical even for last weeks Jack. Something was wrong and she was afraid to ask.

She took a blanket from her backpack. At least they had that with them. She realized that she had also one of her books here. Thank God, although she could have remembered while ago. She laid down, trying not to get too close to her CO, but it was quite difficult task since the room had about four by four meters. But Jack seemed to read her thoughts. He moved a bit away with a silent sorry and turned away.

She opened the book but wasn't able to concentrate. Not just because the situation, but because of him. He was dangerously close. She wanted to talk to him, to ensure that everything is ok. That his attitude has nothing to do with her. She wanted to understand. She knew that the only thing she would have to do would be to ask. Simple.

She bit her lip and closed the book. It had no sense to pretend to be reading. Actually she was sure he knew she wasn't focusing at all. He gave her a look when he heard her but moved his eyes away quickly.

"Sir?" She said quietly.

"What?" He replied and gave her another thoughtful look.

"Don't you think you are… A bit harsh at Daniel?"

"He is keeping us here," Jack murmured back, not looking at her this time.

"No, he's not and you know that. It's not his fault. We had a bit of bad luck."

"I know what bad luck is, Carter," he replied. "Doesn't matter what he says. He is supposed to get us out of here."

Sam rolled her eyes. "He's doing all he can. Sir, much worse things happened to us in the past. Why can't we just get over it? Just one night and you can go back to your office job."

He looked at her directly this time. "I don't miss my paperwork," he made a face.

"So…"

"Nothing, Carter. Everything is fine. Sorry that I am not jumping with joy that we are stuck in here." He clapped his hands. "And don't tell me you cannot imagine a better place to be right now."

"I can imagine a better place," she smiled slightly. "But with all due respect, sir, you are not acting like a General."

"I don't care."

"It is quite clear," she mumbled.

"You think?" He said with an ironical smile.

"Sir, I am not enjoying it either," she sighed. "I just don't understand why… I mean…" She had a hard time looking for the right words. "Did I miss something?"

He sighed, rubbing his chin. "No," he replied softly. She gave him a surprised look. What was going on? The silence fell between them again; she could hear her own breath. And she realized again how close he actually was.

He was sitting at the opposite wall but when he pulled his leg, they were almost touching. She sat, hugged her knees and looked back at him. She didn't understand. Did he really mind so much to be alone with her? She knew he imagined his first mission after so long to be different, but it wasn't her fault. Or Daniel's.

She didn't remember him behaving so strangely. Their relationship changed, it was natural, but she wished he didn't show her how much he dislikes to be alone with her. She knew that he didn't care about her anymore, but the last few weeks he was sometimes acting like she was infectious. He tried to be polite, but wasn't very successful. She knew him too well and she cared too much. Unlike him, she never stopped.

She felt guilty. Every time she thought about him that way she felt guilty. Not just because he was her CO, she'd learned to live with that guilt over the last seven years. But she was engaged. Engaged! She was supposed to miss her finance, to look forward to see him again. Instead of that, she was sitting here, thinking of the fact that Jack was staying just a few steps from her, looking so good even in this poor light. That wasn't something that engaged woman should do.

He didn't have those problems anymore. He got over them and whatever they shared. He just desired to get out of there. She knew the smartest thing would be to stay quiet, turn around and sleep. But this time she ignored that smart voice in her head and obeyed that crazy, dangerous one.

"Did you have any specific plans for tonight?" she asked. It was silly but she tried not to think about that a lot.

"Different than spending a night in a hole?" He raised his eyebrows. "Nope. This is perfect."

She smiled a bit. His humor was back, at least partly.

"You?" he asked back. That surprised her. Maybe they will be able to communicate like normal people this time.

"Well, no. I would be in the lab I think."

"No date?"

She was just drinking water, which wasn't a good idea she realized immediately. It took her about ten seconds before she was able to stop coughing.

"No, sir," she answered finally.

He nodded. His expression was unreadable. "What about the wedding preparations?" he continued. "I remember it can be quite time-consuming."

She had no idea why he would start this conversation. Usually he was avoiding this topic as much as her. But maybe it was just her imagination working wrong. He had no reason to feel strange for talking about her upcoming wedding. He let her know perfectly well he had no problem with that. She was the only one who had doubts despite saying yes.

"I'm busy, you know that," she said. "I am not doing a lot to be honest. Pete is setting up most of the things."

"That is kind of him," Jack said, starring at his legs. His expression was still the same and she didn't even try to guess what he was thinking or where he was directing this conversation.

"Sir," she took a breath. "Couldn't we talk about something else? I would really appreciate that."

"Ok," he agreed without a move. "What do you want to talk about? I just thought that brides enjoyed talking about their happy day."

She closed her eyes for a moment. He was right; brides usually did. She was probably an exception.

"Sorry, sir," she smiled weakly. "I just… I don't think it is a good topic for now."

"Right," he nodded.

"Right," she repeated bluntly. "I don't think that anything is right." Really nothing was right, and especially this conversation. She had the opportunity to talk about something else and what did she do? This topic wasn't a bit safer.

"Why?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It's complicated."

"Tell me."

"No," she replied instantly, without thinking about it for the second. She felt like a little girl right now, too exposed to his intense look. No. That was really an intelligent answer, considering she was supposed to be a genius. Right now she really didn't feel that way.

"Sorry, sir," she added after his confused gaze. He really didn't realize how awkward and difficult it was for her. She couldn't talk about it with him. It was just impossible. Sooner or later she would say something even more stupid than what she said already.

"Don't apologize," he smiled a bit. "I think I can live with it."

She tried to smile back. Now it was she who was puzzled. He was acting strangely. Very strangely. She was so thinking about herself and how uncomfortable this discussion was for her that she totally forgot to think about him. About the fact that it was him who started this. He has never done it before. He was avoiding the topic since that stupid conversation in her office, where she showed him the ring. That was the moment she fully realized she had no choice than to move on.

But suddenly she wanted to know what was going on. She needed to ask. She decided to forget the caution for now.

"Can I ask a question?" She said it silently, because her voice didn't obey her right now.

"Go ahead," he replied.

"Why are you asking about my wedding?" She swallowed. It wasn't a good idea.

"Curiosity, Carter. Curiosity."

"Sir, please," she shook her head. "You know what I mean. You were avoiding that topic. You were even avoiding me. And now you just…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Another question?"

She sighed with frustration. He wanted a question so he will get one. "Do you have anything against Pete?" She looked into his eyes this time.

"No," he replied slowly. "Why should I?"

"Fine," she smiled. It was an amazing achievement, because she felt like her heart was sinking again. He said it without a sign of interest, he even looked indolent. "Fine, because there is no reason."

"Really?" Now he was gazing at her and once again, she had no idea what to say.

"I don't know," she admitted finally. "Is there?"

He just shrugged. "You should know. You are the one who is marrying him."

"You have no right to judge me," she blurted. "Actually it was you who told me to get a life."

That was bad. Normally, one of them would have already found a reason to leave, but this place was like a jail. They didn't have any possibility of going away. He gave her another look and she was sure he was thinking about it the same as her. There was no chance to escape. But still, they could ignore all that has been said; they were very good in pretending that before. It will be no change this time.

"You don't like tulips, do you," he said unexpectedly and she just blinked. He was always great at changing gears.

"No, not really," she admitted, still confused. What was he talking about? Why did it matter if she likes them or not?

"I thought that," he said.

She suddenly realized what he was talking about. She had no idea why he noticed just this, but he did and she didn't know what to say. That morning, Pete sent her flowers and she let them in her office, although she would never choose tulips herself. Jack was right.

"How do you know that I don't like them?" she asked, surprised and puzzled at once.

Jack shrugged. "How doesn't he know?"

She opened her mouth but closed it immediately. She didn't have an answer to that. She had never told Pete. She wondered what else she had never told him. But that wasn't something her CO should be interested in, that was sure, and still he was. She would give everything to be able to read his mind, like many times before. She got another weird idea. Was he so upset in the morning because he saw the flowers on her table?

She glanced at him, partly afraid of what she could see in his eyes, although she didn't know what she was exactly afraid of. But he didn't give her a chance to find out anything. He laid down and turned towards the wall. It was time to sleep. She hoped she would be able to fall asleep at least for a while. It wouldn't be easy.

"Good night, Carter." His voice was firm, but soft. She sighed silently. Nothing changed.

"Good night, Sir."

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_Thanks my fantastic beta Everlovin. Reviews are welcome :)_


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